xceedingly unemotional appeal.

"It's the most curious song I ever heard," cried Estelle, "and you sing
it perfectly, because I heard every word."

Then she brought out pencil and paper, sat in the deep alcove of the
window and transcribed Nancy's verse.

"You must sing that to my father next time you come up," she said.
"It's like no other song in the world, I'm sure."

Sally Groves came in. She had brought Estelle the seed of a flower from
her garden.

"I put it by for you, Miss Waldron," said the big woman, "because you
said you liked it in the fall."

They talked together while Mercy Gale doffed her overall and woollen
bonnet.

"Tell me," said Estelle, "of a very good sort of wedding present for Mr.
Ironsyde, when he marries Sabina next week."

"A new temper, I should think," suggested Nancy.

"He can't help being rather in a temper," explained Estelle, "because
they can't find a house."

"Sabina can find plenty," answered the spinner. "It's him that's so hard
to please."

Sally Groves strove to curb Nancy's tongue.

"You mind your own business," she said. "Mr. Ironsyde wants everything
just so, and why not?"

"Because it ain't a time to be messing about, I should think," retorted
Nancy. "And it's for the woman to be considered, not him."

Then Estelle, in all innocence, asked a shattering question.

"Is it true Sabina is going to have a baby? One or two girls in the mill
told me she was, but I asked my father, and he seemed to be annoyed and
said, of course not. But I hope it's true--it would be lovely for Sabina
to have a baby to play with."

"So it would then," declared Sally Groves, "but I shouldn't tell nothing
about it for the present, miss."

"Least said, soonest mended," said Mercy Gale.

"It's like this," explained Sally Groves with clumsy goodness: "they'll
want to keep it for a surprise, miss, and I dare say they'd be terrible
disappointed if they thought anybody knew anything about it yet."

Nancy Buckler laughed.

"I reckon they would," she said.

"So don't you name it, miss," continued Sally. "Don't you name the word
yet awhile."

Estelle nodded.

"I won't then," she promised. "I know how sad it is, if you've got a
great secret, to find other people know it before you want them to."

"Beastly sad," said Nancy, as she went her way, and the child looked
after her puzzled.

"I believe Nancy's jealous of Sabina," she said.

Then it was Sally Groves who laughed and her mer